[*BCM*] Cambridge po-po sighting

[Pete Stidman]

--- rogerbwinn at letterboxes.org wrote:   "i hear what
you're saying with this, but i feel like this is a
delusional utopian vision.  this is boston.  we're not
going to wake up
to birds chirpping and everyone driving nicely
tomorrow.  there's a lot
of other shit in this city that needs to be addressed
before that can
even become an idea worth considering (ie. economic
stratification,
systemic racism, etc.).  and i'm definitely doing work
to stop those
things.  but until then i'm going to ride however i'll
stay safe.  and
so far that means running red lights and riding
aggressively."

--
I agree with roger about riding aggressive, I've
always found that I feel safer passing up the line of
cars stopped at a light then waiting around with them.
 But I disagree that bike issues are somehow separate
from economic stratification, even racism is not
entirely untouched by it, considering the fact that
all social issues are related.  

And bike safety is a social issue.  It may not be the
one most choose to emphasize in their activism but
never discount those who do.  One of the reasons
people ride bikes is because they can't afford cars
and arent well served by mass transport.  So a good
portion of the bikers out their facing unsafe riding
conditions are not their by choice but by need, and of
course we already now that there are big income gaps
between the races.  When I was younger I rode a bike
because I had to and always coveted a car, only
through years of riding did I get a good solid hatred
of motorized steel buckets and a sense of pride about
riding.  

Safer biking means more bikers, which means more
transportation options for car-less folks, which means
less money spent on cars and more money to spend on
other necessities and maybe a better chance of getting
a foothold out of a bad financial situation.  And then
there's external stuff to the deal.  More bikers means
cleaner air and a nicer city and a nicer environment
in which to live, especially in dense city
neighborhoods.  Just like things like murals, clean
streets and other types of activism can add to the
strength of a community, so can biking.  Look no
further than the multi-hued community at Bikes not
Bombs to see how diverse communities can come together
around bike issues.

Biking safety isnt at the heart of economic
stratification and racism by a longshot, but its not
totally unrelated and it needs fixing just like all
other aspects of those problems.  I dont think there's
one thing before the other, but instead an issue that
fits each persons interests and energies.

-Pete



		
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